On Tuesday, it was reported that the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a contract with cornerback Kristian Fulton. A former Charger and Titan, Fulton was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft. He was also part of one of the greatest college football teams of all time, the 2019 LSU National Champions. Fulton is set to join a Chiefs' secondary that has gained significant experience over the last few years.
Fulton has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries over his short career. He has yet to start 17 games in a season and, on average, has played 11 games per year. When on the field, he's been fairly productive, with 5 career interceptions and 32 passes defended.
How Kristian Fulton impacts the secondary
The Chiefs' secondary received a youthful injection in 2022 with the selections of Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Jaylen Watson, and Joshua Williams. Now, that core consists of NFL veterans who are quickly approaching free agency (except McDuffie, who has a fifth-year option).
Fulton's two-year contract can immediately help the Chiefs bridge the gap in the secondary, as they face a large wave of free agents at cornerback after 2025. Additionally, Fulton brings something the Chiefs' secondary lacked last year—an experienced outside presence opposite Jaylen Watson.
While Trent McDuffie was by far the Chiefs' best corner last year, moving him outside and out of the slot limited his impact. McDuffie's size works best against smaller, shiftier slot receivers, and he provides the biggest impact in run defense, which is one of his key strengths. Fulton comes in with over 720 snaps out wide with the Chargers last year. He should be an instant upgrade over Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson, who saw significant playing time due to Jaylen Watson's injury.
Fulton was PFF's 40th graded corner in 2024, while McDuffie (3rd) and Watson (35th) were both ranked higher. He's a big upgrade over Williams and Johnson. However, the biggest upgrade will be the change of Trent McDuffie to the slot over Chamari Conner. Teams found lots of success targeting Conner in the slot, who allowed 41 receptions on 53 targets for 435 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Chiefs are essentially getting better at two spots with the addition of Fulton. They gain an adequate outside corner and an all-pro slot defender, too.
Ideally, the Chiefs and their fans should expect Fulton to miss a few games, as he has throughout his career. Depending on the health of the rest of the secondary, that still leaves McDuffie and Watson to play outside while Conner can shift back into the slot. This move increases the depth of the position overall by raising the floor and improving the ceiling of the secondary.
What does this mean for the Chiefs' next moves in the secondary?
With the Chiefs set to bring back McDuffie, Watson, Williams, Cook, Conner, and Jaden Hicks—along with the addition of Kristian Fulton—they could line up and play a game today. That’s a position general manager Brett Veach likes to be in heading into the draft. Is another free-agent move coming in the secondary? Maybe. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Chiefs add another safety. Two former Chiefs, Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid, remain unsigned.
As for the draft, this move certainly decreases the immediate need for a cornerback, but it shouldn't stop the Chiefs from drafting one if they find a prospect they like. As mentioned, the Chiefs have multiple corners nearing free agency, and they need to continue building overall depth while identifying future starters at the position. Names like Trey Amos, Darien Porter, Jacob Parish, Cobee Bryant, Nohl Williams, and Quincy Riley could all be in play on Day 2 or 3 of the draft for the Chiefs.
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